AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn 6-foot-8 sophomore forward Horace Spencer will have season-ending left shoulder surgery on Thursday, performed by Dr. James Andrews at the Andrews Institute in Pensacola, Fla.

“Horace, he’s one of our toughest players, and he’s a fighter, and he’s not afraid, and he’s a really good teammate,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. “Horace has got a little bit of big brother in him. He’s our team protector.

“After his first year, he was out four months with a knee. He’s going to be out four months with a shoulder. It’s tough. You need that offseason, and he didn’t have it last year. So, ‘What’s Horace going to be like as a sophomore?’ He had no chance to train. We didn’t get him until mid-September.

“Then he’s coming off a knee injury, so he’s really not quite back to where he was. And now, with his shoulder, so, we miss the stability and we miss his toughness and we miss our brother.”

The Philadelphia, Pa., native ranked third in the SEC last season with 2.1 blocks and is averaging 4.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 19 games this season after injuring his shoulder vs. Tennessee on Jan. 31. He has missed the last three games.

Spencer had 12 points and four rebounds in the win vs. Georgia State, 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in the win vs. LSU and 10 points, five boards and three blocks in the win at Missouri.